The invention relates to processed potato products, particularly to filled potato products. The invention further relates to processes for making these potato products.
Businesses involved in commercial food production consider the food characteristics such that the food is desirable to a significant number of consumers. While consumers desire food with appealing taste and texture, they also demand food products that are simple and fast to prepare.
A variety of potato starting materials are available and have been used for making commercial potato products for consumption. These starting. materials include diced potatoes, sliced potatoes, potato granules and potato nubbins. The starting materials may be in a number of different forms including fresh, individually quick frozen, blanched or dehydrated. In some processes, a potato dough is made from the potato starting materials. The potato dough can be extruded or sheeted and cut into a desired shape. The potato products made in this manner contain a smooth, mashed potato consistency with few or no particulates.
Shredded potatoes have been used to make hash brown potato products. To make hash brown potato patties, for example, the shredded potatoes can be formed into a patty of desired size. The patty is then fried in edible oil. These hash brown potato patties can have discernable shreds that provide a desirable texture for consumers.
Extrusion processes for the formation of food products offer an efficient and cost effective approach. Extrusion processes, however, necessarily have certain characteristics that suggest the types of products that can be effectively produced. In particular, significant pressure is exerted on the ingredients during extrusion when the food product is moved through a gap. Extrusion processes, thus, are particularly suitable for processing doughy products. Because of the pressures involved, extrusion is generally considered to be unsuitable for production of products that need to retain the piece integrity of fragile starting materials.
Sheeting is an alternative processing approach to extrusion. Sheeting is also an efficient approach for food production. In sheeting processes, significant pressure is exerted on the ingredients as they pass through a gap opening.
In a first aspect, the invention pertains to a filled potato product comprising a potato composition encasing a filling wherein the potato product is sufficiently thin to fit into a toaster. The potato composition includes dehydrated shredded potatoes that have been rehydrated, a binding agent and a gelling agent that hydrates at cold temperatures and gels at high temperatures.
In a further aspect, the invention pertains to a filled potato product comprising a potato composition encasing a filling wherein the potato product is sufficiently thin to fit into a toaster, the potato composition comprising shredded potatoes that have about 80% water by weight, a binding agent and a gelling agent that hydrates at cold temperatures and gels at high temperatures.
In another aspect, the invention pertains to a method of making a potato product, the method comprising extruding a potato composition having shredded potatoes through a die such that the extruded potato composition maintains shred integrity.
In a further aspect, the invention pertains to a method of making a potato product, the method comprising sheeting a potato composition having shredded potatoes through a gap such that the sheeted potato composition maintains shred integrity.